Serendipity: AUs
by humanveil
Summary: Charles sends a text to the wrong number. Spin off from serendipity. Includes mini conversations that could have happened before they met and some stuff post-meet.
1. Interrogation

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

 **A/N:** Spinoff from my story Serendipity. Will contain stuff (like messages, dates, phonecalls) that's both post and pre-meet. Send prompts my way, if you want (tumblr: snaxo). A graphic version of Serendipity can now also be found on my AO3 (also snaxo) and on my tumblr under the tag "serendipity art"

 **Summary:** Raven hates not knowing.

* * *

" _Seriously,_ Charles! Again?"

Charles lifted his eyes away from the small screen and towards his little sister, cheeks still hurting with the effort to not grin like an idiot as his phone vibrated every few seconds. "What?" he asked, distracted once again as the silver text box appeared.

" _Get off your phone!"_

"Why," he asked, fingers flying across the phone's screen. "You're always on your phone."

"That's different!" Raven replied, sounding exactly like she had when she was little and things didn't go her way.

" _How?"_

"I'm not old."

Charles rolled his eyes at Raven's idiotic argument and looked at her once again, "Nor am I."

"You kinda are."

"Raven," he said, sighing. "What do you want?"

"Attention," she replied, smiling sweetly. "And to know who the hell you're talking to."

Charles bit his lip and reread the text he'd just sent to make sure it sounded okay, as if it wasn't already too late to change it, "No."

"No?"

He nodded, "No."

"What do you mean _no_?"

"What I mean," Charles said, head lolling against the back of his couch, "Is _no_ , I am not telling you who it is."

"Why," Raven asked, and Charles saw the dangerous gleam enter her eyes, the one he knew meant that she wouldn't stop her harassment until she gained the information she wanted. "Do I know him?"

"What makes you think it's a _him_?"

"You wouldn't be smiling like that if it wasn't a _him_."

"I have plenty of female friends who make me smile, Raven."

"Yeah," she agreed, "but not like _that_."

Charles sighed, again, "You don't know him."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Because I know a lot of people, Charles."

"Yes, but not this person."

"I bet I do."

"I bet you don't."

"Fine," Raven said, smirking, "What's his name?"

"None of your business."

"That's a weird name."

Charles rolled his eyes again, holding his phone protectively against his chest as his sister interrogated him. He didn't want to tell her yet, to tell anyone, really. He and Erik had been talking for a while now, and he'd grown fond of the other man. Really, _really_ fond, in fact, and the thought of telling anyone made his face heat with embarrassment and his stomach erupt in butterflies Charles was sure came from the core of Hell itself.

"I'm not telling you," Charles said, and _honestly,_ she should just listen to him and drop it.

"I'll hack your phone," Raven stated, moving closer toward him like an animal hunting it's pray. "I know how."

"No, you don't."

"Hank does."

Charles hid his phone behind his back, knowing fully that it wouldn't do anything to stop her, as Raven sat closer to him on the couch. "Why won't you just leave it?"

"Because I want to know."

Charles opened his mouth, ready to reply, but the faint _bing_ of his phone interrupted him. He couldn't help but bring the object back into sight, though he held it closely to his face in a bid to hide the screen, and thus the name, from Raven. Predictably, it didn't work. The second his fingers had put his passcode in and the screen lit up with his sacred text thread, Raven pounced. His little sister moved quickly to grab the phone and hold him back, the initial surprise of the attack allowed her enough leverage to get a hold of the phone with one arm and pin him against the couch with the other.

"Erik," she muttered, and Charles cursed, using all his power to get away from her hold and rescue his phone. He managed, eventually, to end up on the other side of his living room, phone in hand and clothes askew, but it was too late. He knew Raven had already seen more than enough to tease him for the rest of eternity. "Who the hell is Erik?"

"I told you, you don't know him."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"No."

"You have _hearts_ after his name, Charles! What are you, a thirteen year old girl?"

"It's none of your business," Charles repeated, for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"You call him _darling,"_ Raven replied, as if that proved everything.

"I call a lot of people darling."

"He called you _sweetheart._ "

"So?"

" _So?"_ Raven repeated, as if he was an idiot. "So _who the hell is he_?"

Charles sighed loudly, "A friend."

"A friend?"

"Are you going to repeat everything I say?"

"This is important, Charles!"

"It really isn't."

"You put hearts after his name," she repeated, and again, Charles didn't understand why it was such a big deal. "You don't do that for normal people, which means he's _important_."

"We aren't having this conversation right now."

"Yes, we are."

"No, we're not," Charles mumbled, eyes drifting back to his phone as a few more texts came in quick succession. He couldn't help the silly grin that graced his face as he typed out his reply. He could hear Raven call his name, voice laced with mock annoyance, but he ignored it.

Instead, Charles lowered himself back onto the couch to continue the conversation with the man he thought he was maybe-just-a-little-but-probably-a-lot-in-love-with. Raven's annoyed sigh and over-exaggerated eye roll as she moved to his kitchen went unnoticed as he focused on not making a fool of himself.


	2. Unintentional Overjoyed

**SUMMARY: Tumblr user mcavoyeur-fassynation's prompt: A few months after they start dating, Erik accidentally proposes to Charles via text.**

 **OKAY SO, first of all, this fic is so, sooooooo long overdue. I received the prompt something like 200 days ago and I can't believe I left it for so long. I apologise! Real life and writer's block got in the way.**

 **Once again, Charles is in plain text, and Erik is in italics. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Saturday 17th of January, 2015.**

[09:41 AM]

Are you still coming over today?

 _[09:45 AM]_

 _Of course, liebling. As if I'd miss the opportunity to spend the day with you._

 _[09:46 AM]_

 _I just have some stuff to do first. I think I'll be there around 11._

[09:46 AM]

Okay.

[09:47 AM]

I have left over cupcakes and I'll let you have them if you buy me milk on the way home.

[09:47 AM]

Shit, I mean here. On the way here.

 _[09:47 AM]_

 _Uh huh. Sure you did._

 _[09:47 AM]_

 _Don't worry, I'll be home soon enough._

 _[09:48 AM]_

 _You'd let me eat them anyway. But I'll still get you milk._

 _[09:48 AM]_

 _Normal or skim?_

[09:49 AM]

Normal.

[09:49 AM]

Come on, darling. You should know that by now.

 _[09:50 AM]_

 _Don't be so quick to forget the skim period, Charles. I think I'll be scarred for life._

[09:50 AM]

It wasn't that bad.

[09:51 AM]

You're just a drama queen.

 _[09:52 AM]_

 _Guilty as charged._

 _[09:52 AM]_

 _I gotta go. The quicker I get this done the quicker I can be with you._

[09:53 AM]

Hurry up. I miss you.

 _[09:53 AM]_

 _You saw me on Thursday._

[09:54 AM]

I don't care. I miss you.

[09:54 AM]

Love you.

 _[09: 55 AM]_

 _Love you, too, baby. I'll be there soon._

* * *

 _[10:34 AM]_

 _Charles help._

 _[10:34 AM]_

 _There are teenagers making out on the bus and an old lady is next to me, asking me if I would date her daughter._

 _[10:34 AM]_

 _What do I do?_

[10:35 AM]

Tell her you like cock.

[10:35 AM]

Specifically mine.

 _[10:35 AM]_

 _Yes, I can see that going exceptionally well._

 _[10:36 AM]_

 _"Hello, no, sorry. I can't meet your daughter tomorrow afternoon. My schedule says my boyfriend's cock is supposed to be down my throat at that time. Perhaps we could do it another day?"_

 ** _[10:36 AM] ~ incoming call: Charles ~_**

 _"Hello?"_

"Did you tell her?"

 _"Hi, **darling.** How are you?"_

"You should really just tell her. Or show her—"

 _"I'm good. I'll be there soon."_

"I know you still have that pic saved."

 _"Are we still going to look for a new apartment tomorrow?"_

"Yes."

 _"Okay, good."_

"Do you ever think we'd make really hot porn?"

 _"…"_

"Are you choking?"

 _"No, no. I'm fine."_

"I wonder if I could get you hard on a bus."

 _"I'll be there in about thirty minutes, with the milk."_

"I probably could."

 _"See you soon."_

"I just came out of the shower, you know. All I've got on is a towel. Wanna see?"

 _"Love you, too. Bye."_

"Maybe I'll—"

 _[10:43 AM]_

 _Bastard._

[10:43 AM]

Oh, darling. I love you too.

 _[10:44 AM]_

 _She's telling me about houses now._

 _[10:45 AM]_

 _Apparently it's really bad to buy a place together before we're married._

 _[10:46 AM]_

 _Charles she's memorised statistics._

 _[10:46 AM]_

 _Who the hell knows statistics about this sort of thing?_

[10:48 AM]

You are honestly one of the most unapproachable people I know, why is it that someone talks to you every time you get on a bus?

 _[10:50 AM]_

 _I ask myself the same question every time._

 _[10:50 AM]_

 _Especially because I stay on my phone the entire time?_

[10:51 AM]

My antisocial boyfriend, how I love you.

[10:52 AM]

Can you get bread too?

 _[10:52 AM]_

 _But that means I'll have to stop again._

 _[10:52 AM]_

 _And interact with more people._

[10:53 AM]

Pleaseeeee?

[10:53 AM]

For me?

 _[10:54 AM]_

 _That's not fair. Don't pull the 'for me' card._

 _[10:55 AM]_

 _You know I can't resist the for me card._

[10:55 AM]

:(

 _[10:56 AM]_

 _Oh, for fuck sakes._

 _[10:56 AM]_

 _Fine._

 _[10:56 AM]_

 _Wholemeal?_

[10:57 AM]

Of course. Thank you, sweetheart.

 _[10:57 AM]_

 _I used to be such a mean bastard, what have you done to me? My reputation would be completely ruined if people knew about this._

[10:58 AM]

It's the sex on a regular basis, I think. It makes you much more agreeable.

 _[10:59 AM]_

 _I can't complain with that._

 _[10:59 AM]_

 _Ugh, she's still talking. We're back to the daughter now._

[11:00 AM]

Politely tell her to stop.

 _[11:01 AM]_

 _You know I can't do that._

 _[11:02 AM]_

 _Why do old ladies always have so much to say?_

 _[11:02 AM]_

 _Maybe people would leave me alone if I wore a wedding ring._

 _[11:03 AM]_

 _Can we get wedding rings, Charles?_

[11:05 AM]

…did you just ask me to marry you so old ladies would leave you alone on the bus?

 _[11:06 AM]_

 _Shit. Kind of?_

 _[11:06 AM]_

 _Aren't I the romantic?_

 _[11:07 AM]_

 _No, I don't mean it like that._

 _[11:07 AM]_

 _There are a million reasons I want to marry you, not only because of old ladies and their daughters._

 _[11:08 AM]_

 _No, the reason I want to marry you is because you make me incredibly happy and I can't imagine not being with you until I die. No more bus proposals would be a bonus._

 _[11:09 AM]_

 _Okay, fuck. I'm making this worse, aren't I?_

 _[11:10 AM]_

 _Charles?_

 _[11:10 AM]_

 _Help me out here, liebling._

[11:11 AM]

Do you mean it?

 _[11:11 AM]_

 _Mean what?_

[11:12 AM]

That you want to marry me.

 _[11:13 AM]_

 _Of course I do. Do you honestly think I wouldn't?_

 _[11:13 AM]_

 _Charles, I love you more than anything in this world. Of course I want to marry you._

[11:15 AM]

Okay, then.

 _[11:15 AM]_

 _Okay?_

[11:16 AM]

Okay, we can get wedding rings.

 _[11:17 AM]_

 _wait_

 _[11:17 AM]_

 _Are we actually getting married?_

[11:18 AM]

You're the one that asked

 _[11:18 AM]_

 _Yeah, but_

 _[11:19 AM]_

 _Oh my god_

 _[11:19 AM]_

 _This is not how I had it planned out._

[11:20 AM]

You had it planned out?

 _[11:20 AM]_

 _Of course I had it planned out!_

 _[11:20 AM]_

 _Fucking hell, I had a whole speech prepared._

 _[11:21 AM]_

 _I was going to invite you over and cook you a special dinner, because public proposals are shit and I didn't want to make you feel like you had to say yes just because people were around._

 _[11:22 AM]_

 _I was so excited and now I've ruined everything._

[11:23 AM]

Erik, shut up.

[11:23 AM]

You haven't ruined anything.

[11:24 AM]

While your original plan would have been lovely, an accidental proposal via text is fitting, considering how you and I met. Don't you think?

 _[11:25 AM]_

 _Yeah, but still. I like sticking to my plans._

 _[11:25 AM]_

 _I'm walking up to your apartment now, I'll see you soon._

[11:26 AM]

Looking forward to it, darling.

* * *

Erik doesn't even make it inside the apartment before Charles' lips are on his, warm in comparison to the freezing winter air. He kisses him back briefly, tilting his head down, and wraps an arm around his waist, careful not to let the bag holding the chilled bottle of milk press against Charles' back.

He mumbles a greeting against Charles' smiling lips, and the smaller man replies with something completely incomprehensible that makes his smile widen. Pulling away reluctantly, Erik steps into the now familiar apartment, shutting the door behind him before placing the bags holding Charles' groceries on the bench near the door. Charles is back in his arms the second they're empty, arms wrapped tightly around his torso, and Erik chuckles softly as the other man buries his face in the crook of his neck.

"Are we actually getting married?" he asks quietly, voice a faint whisper in the otherwise silent apartment. He can't remove the happy tone from his voice.

"As if I would say no," Charles replies, squeezing him. "Of course, I still expect your dinner and heartfelt speech. And you'll be getting down on one knee. And I want a ring, not bread and milk."

Erik laughs again, his cheek rubbing against the soft strands of Charles' hair as he says, "I wouldn't expect anything less."


	3. Buster

It's mid-Autumn when they finally go.

The parks is nearly completely covered in shades of red, orange, and yellow; leaves falling from tree branches the same way water falls from clouds during a storm. There's a light breeze that calls for coats and scarves, and Charles uses it as an excuse to huddle even further into the warmth of Erik's body, their arms linked together as they walk.

It's not their seventh date like they had originally planned, all those month ago, but neither one of them cares very much.

Erik wasn't particularly thrilled to be visiting the café, having been there numerous times before, but Charles had been giddy with excitement from the second Erik had opened his door, a barking, playful Sherlock at his feet.

"Is it just dogs that go there?" Charles asks, his head leaning on Erik's shoulder as he listens to the leaves crunch under their feet.

"Mostly," Erik answers, smiling at him. "But all domesticated animals are welcome."

"Can I play with them?"

"If the owners agree."

"Do they serve pet food?"

Erik chuckles, his chest vibrating as the low sound fills the air. "You're like a little kid."

"I like animals," Charles answers, grinning up at him. "Answer my question."

"They serve pet food, yes."

"That's so cute."

"I think we have different definitions of cute, darling."

Charles ignores the comment, watching as Sherlock tries to run ahead of them, excited to be in the park. "What else do they do?"

"They feed the strays," Erik tells him, pulling on Sherlock's collar gently to pull her back. "There's usually always some there. The staff let you take them, as long as you don't seem like a creep."

"Is that why you haven't been allowed to take any?"

"Funny," Erik deadpans, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as Charles giggles.

xoxo

Charles' eyes light up like a kid on Christmas when they enter the café, his grin covering his entire face. The enthusiasm rubs off on Erik, and he finds himself smiling more than he usually would.

It's a half indoor, half outdoor establishment, filled with warm colours and colourful paintings. There are people scattered around the place, sitting down on comfortable looking seats while their animals surround them, some sitting happily while others play. Charles looks around at all the animals, appreciating the different types, the cuteness, and noticing how some are attached to collars and leashes, while others walk freely. Those without them look far too thin, uncared for, and Charles feels the urge to pick them up and shower them all with love.

When they reach the ordering counter, the barista greets Erik by name, the teenage girl looking down at Sherlock with a smile on her face. "Same as usual?"

Erik nods, twisting Sherlock's leash around his hand twice, halting her from running off too far. "Please."

"And for your friend?" she asks, shooting a glance to Charles, her lips tilting into a little smirk.

"Tea," Erik answers. "Little bit of milk, two sugars."

The girls nods and turns to make their order, and Charles turns his gaze to Erik, grinning.

"You know how I like my tea?"

Erik tugs on their conjoined arms, bringing Charles closer to him. He places a soft kiss atop the other man's head, his lips moving against the skin as he mumbles, "Of course I know. You think I wouldn't know?"

"People don't really pay attention to it."

"I do."

"Cutie," Charles murmurs, giggling as Erik rolls his eyes at the comment. He reaches for Sherlock's leash, taking it from Erik's hand and holding it in his own. "I'll go sit," he says, leaving him with a kiss to the cheek.

Erik hums, leaning against the café's counter and watching as Sherlock trots after Charles, stopping every now and then to sniff another one of the pets.

xoxo

Their orders in hand, Erik finds Charles at a table near the front of the store, situated just inside the door. Sherlock sits at his feet, her tail wagging when she spots Erik. Taking the seat across from Charles, Erik raises an eyebrow, "Is that a cat?"

Charles hums, smiling as Erik places the tea in front of him. "He was outside. I had to grab him, he can barely stand on his own."

"I leave you alone for two minutes," Erik says with a laugh, bending down to place a bowel in front of Sherlock. "I assume you've already named him?"

"I'm thinking about it," Charles admits, his fingers softly stroking the black fur of the cat while he uses his free hand to feed it a treat. Erik doesn't bother asking where he got it from. "Anyway, you wanted to tell me something about work?"

xoxo

They spend a few hours at the café, exchanging casual conversation that doesn't really mean anything, but is pleasant all the same. The cat remains in Charles' lap, even as he plays with the other pets that come up to them.

When they're about to leave and the cat still hasn't moved from his hold, Erik sighs. "You're going to keep him, aren't you?"

Charles grins, not making eye contact with him. "I was thinking we could call him Buster?"

"Charles."

"It would be adorable."

"Sherlock and Buster?"

"Yes."

"Are we running a crime fighting team of pets, now?"

Charles giggles, beaming at Erik as he answers, "If you want to."

Erik sighs, though Charles sees his lips tilt, the barest hint of a smile forming.

"Please?" he says again. "I'll pay for everything."

"Money isn't my concern."

"What is?"

"Have you ever had a cat?"

"No," Charles answers honestly. "So what? I'll learn."

Erik opens his mouth to say something, and then closes it. He looks across to Charles, his heart melting as the younger man widens his eyes, holding the cat safe against his chest.

"Please?" Charles tries again, drawling the word out.

"For the love of…" Erik mutters, cutting himself off with a sigh. "Fine," he says. "Fine. We can adopt the bloody cat, but he's your responsibility."

He's not even sure Charles hears the last part, the other man's mantra of _thank you thank you thank you_ drowning it out. Erik just smiles, happy to see his darling happy.

xoxo

They walk hand in hand back to Erik's apartment, a comfortable silence falling between them as they pass through the park, until: "I'm going to have to keep him, aren't I?"

"Hmm?"

"Your apartment's policy?"

"I forgot," Charles tells him, pouting slightly. "Shit, Erik, I—"

"Don't worry," Erik tells him, squeezing his hand.

"You don't mind?"

"Will you visit the apartment more, if he's there?"

"Yes."

"Then I can't be mad at the chance to see you more."

The words bring a grin to Charles' face, and he can't help but lean up and kiss Erik. "Have I mentioned that I love you?"

"Yes. Say it again, anyway."

"I love you," Charles repeats, kissing him again when Erik tells him the same.


End file.
